After leaving the hospitality of Ken and Marcia Powers we embarked on what would be two of the most difficult days of our journey. The climb over Mt. Diablo and the mountains of the Black Diamond Mines gave us one of the greatest elevation changes for the day …. over 8,000 feet. We also had one of our wettest days, embedded in a string of wet days at the start.
The rain created some of the worst trail conditions I’d ever seen. We were either slip-sliding on clay or glopping on our shoes a clay/manure combo with the same sticking power as wet snow on cross-country skis. Continued problems with my swollen left foot just added to our struggles.
We were to meet Ky at Contra Loma Park in Antioch and managed to get there just before dark and closing time for the park. As there was no camping in the park and it was too late to figure out what else we might do we drove just outside the park to the end of a street with a modern residential development on one side. For the only time during the journey we all slept together in Ky’s minivan.
The next morning a runner happened by as we were emerging from our metal cocoon and stretching our legs. We obviously provided a curious sight and Kathy Luis stopped to inquire. Shortly thereafter we ran into both her and good friend Art Risetto on their daily routine of exercising in the park. They offered to take us out to dinner later that day.
At the end of our hike that day. Ky brought us to meet Kathy and Art, and their spouses Don and Denise, at a Mexican restaurant in Antioch. It was a delightful time of getting together over a meal as if we all had known each other for a long time. To top it off they gave us $50 worth of Starbuck gift cards.
Antioch turned out to be brimming with trail magic for us. During our day hike through the city we stopped at a 7-11 for a couple of pops. When the manager found out what we were doing he comped us the drinks and encouraged us to get more food, becoming the first proprietor along the way to comp us.
That evening we stayed at our first church, The Community Presbyterian/First Congregational Church, a combining of denominations in a meeting place, The Stoneman Chapel, that had a history of accommodating mixed religions. At one point they had an altar that could be rolled out for Catholic services and hidden for Jewish ones.
Pastor Will McGarvey to the left
